


Big Brother

by Mars_McKie



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Big Brothers, Brothers, Young Tracys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 17:51:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12537744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mars_McKie/pseuds/Mars_McKie
Summary: Two words... Two words capable of turning everything you thought you knew upside down...Or- how I choose to interpret a particular moment in 'Grandma Tourismo'!





	Big Brother

**Author's Note:**

> I watched this episode three times, and it was only on the third time that I noticed this tiny moment... and only because it was pointed out on Tumblr!
> 
> For me, John was always older than Virgil, so this is how I choose in interpret this revelation. (TAG will probably go on to prove me wrong, as it seems they're want to do, but I demand to see birth certificates!)

When Lucille and Jeff Tracy married, their honeymoon was cut short when the launch date for Jeff’s mission to Mars was moved forward. His time became devoted to preparation and though he apologised profusely to his new wife, she told him not to worry about it and they would finish their honeymoon when he returned.

Two months into the journey to Mars, Jeff received a video call from his wife on the NASA comms with big news- she was pregnant. Jeff nearly turned the space shuttle around then and there (to the surprise of his co-astronauts), but Lucille ordered him onwards, and a month later he became the first person to set foot on Mars.

The three of them completed their work on the surface of the Red Planet and began the journey home some weeks later. With Mars behind them, Jeff’s mind turned towards becoming a father. He had no idea what to expect, and his friend and fellow astronaut Lee Taylor had no clue about babies either. Thankfully, NASA sent up a couple of ebooks and their third astronaut Kathryn Dwyer was a mother of two and gave him first hand accounts of what to expect.

In the three months it would take to get back, Jeff realised that his return date would overlap with Lucille’s due date, and his first dad-like thought entered his mind- _I can make it._

His plans were almost scuppered as their shuttle landed fifty miles off of their projected landing spot and they had to wait to be rescued from the Mojave Desert by NASA. Debriefing was delayed as Jeff was rushed to the hospital; still wearing his spacesuit, he was just in time to grasp Lucille’s hand as, on the 4th of April 2037, Scott Carpenter Tracy entered the world.

After that point, all went much more according to their plan- Scott was a perfect baby, though Lucille had determined that Jeff’s first present of a rock from the surface of Mars (smuggled out of NASA’s knowledge when he had ran to the hospital) could wait until he was older so there was no chance of him swallowing it (as everything Scott was handed went straight into his mouth). It was December before they felt they could get Grandma and Grandpa Tracy to babysit while they finished their honeymoon, where they broached the subject of Scott having a sibling.

Having had Scott first, Lucille and Jeff felt they were more prepared when they agreed to have another child, but the world always finds new ways of testing people as John Glenn Tracy was born on Friday the 8th of October 2038- a month early. Weighing only 5.4lb, he was rushed into intensive care with the doctors concerned that his lungs might not be fully developed as a result of being premature, but both he and Lucille showed good signs of being healthy and they were dispatched from the hospital a week later.

It was a relief for all of them to return home, and Scott -who had been kept away from the hospital- could finally be introduced to his younger brother. His mother kindly explained to him, as best as possible with him only being one and a half years old, that because John had been born early he would need to be looked after by his big brother. Scott’s main concern had been would his brother be too small to play toy planes together. Jeff and Lucille agreed to leave it a while before considering having any more kids.

Ten and a half months later, Virgil Grissom Tracy came as an unplanned surprise. Unplanned, but by no means unwelcome.

Born on Monday the 15th of August 2039, he was six days late by the doctors estimates and weighed a healthy 7.7lb. In the next year, Virgil grew to be the same size as John so that all of Jeff and Lucille’s friends looked at the two boys and had to ask which one was the older brother. John was still the first to start speaking, the first to get his baby teeth, the first brother to question his parents about whether he or Virgil was the older of the two as his younger brother was bigger than him. By the time they started elementary school John had grown to be thin and scrawny, whereas Virgil had just... grown.

Despite there only being two months of the year where John and Virgil were the same age, they were in the same year at school and, on learning that the two boys were brothers, the other kids in the class immediately assumed that, as the larger of the two, Virgil was the older brother, or that they were twins.

The two boys had to go to their father to sort it out, for he was their go-to authority figure on all of their arguments.

“John is my older brother,” a five year old Virgil said to his dad. “But I’m bigger than he is.”

“That’s right,” Jeff nodded.

Virgil and John paused, considering this and trying to articulate what they were thinking. “Other kids in my class have older siblings, and the older siblings are always bigger, like Scott,” said John.

“Ah, but you two are different, you see,” said Jeff, hugging his boys to him on the sofa. “Because John was born early and Virgil was born late, that means John is the older brother and Virgil-” he poked his son’s nose and Virgil laughed, “-is the bigger brother.”

“Oh,” both boys murmured.

After that, the two brothers took it in turns to disclaim the idea that Virgil was the older of the two.

A year later, John was cornered on his own by some playground bullies, demanding that he hand over his lunch money (“Your mommy and daddy are rich, so you can afford to share it,” one of the boys sneered). The three boys were all much larger than him, but for his part he stood up to them. As a result, two of the boys held his arms while the third punched him in the gut. Though winded, John continued to struggle against them and got a whack in the face. As the boy wound up for another hit, Virgil flew out of nowhere and floored the boy.

The two holding John’s arms loosened their grip in shock, giving John a chance to move free as Virgil rounded on them. Though the bullies had several years on him, Virgil was still the same size as them and had a stronger build. He put up a good fight against the two of them, aided by John who clung to one of their necks until he was thrown to the floor.

The leader had made it back to his feet, but decided that it wasn’t worth the fight. He signalled to the other two and they ran off. Virgil crouched on the floor next to John.

“John! Are you alright?” he cried. Virgil had a bruise forming on one cheek where one of the bullies had got a punch in, but John had a black eye, several scrapes from where he’d hit the floor and more bruises developing.

“Thanks, big brother,” John muttered feebly.

Virgil wrinkled his nose. “Any time.”

**Author's Note:**

> If this helps anyone to see this in this way, then by all means, and I'm curious to see what other people think on the subject


End file.
